Sub-ceiling



June 21, 1966 F. BRUNNZELL SUB-CEILING Filed Feb. 15, 1962 INVEN'TOY FR [0 OLF BRU/V/VZEL L y y 7W ATTIRNFY United States Patent 3,256,664 SUB-CEILING Fridolf Brunnzell, Sundsvall, Sweden, assignor to WMB International A.B., Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Feb. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 172,983 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 15, 1961, 1,567/ 61 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-478) This invention relates to sub-ceilings.

More particularly this invention relates to sub-ceilings composed by ridged sheet plates which are supported at their ends by parallelly spaced beams.

These beams of said sub-ceilings are in turn suspended in hangers or the like which are secured at their upper ends to the ordinary ceiling. In this way an isolated chamber is provided between the two ceilings which may be utilized, e.g. in industrial buildings, for such purposes as extending conduits, introducing fresh air and the like.

One main object of the invention is to provide a construction which permits the plates, after the beams have been positioned, to be simply and quickly assembled without neglecting the demand for a continuous surface with an appealing appearance or, if necessary, a good sealing .ered in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and of'which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view, along line II of FIG. 2, of a portion of sub-ceiling constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is atop plan view as seen along line II--II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view along line of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral denotes an ordinary ceiling or joists consisting of, for instance, concrete. This ceiling carries beams 12 by means of carrying members. In the embodiment illustrated, these members comprise nuts 14 embedded into the ceiling 10 III-III and angle iron beams 16 secured to the ceiling by means of screws 18. Hangers 20 are hooked at their upper ends into the beam 16, and the lower portions of the hangers extend through holes in the upper flanges of beams 12, the hanger-s being secured in relationship to the beams by means of nuts 22, 24.

In the preferred embodiment the beams 12 are channels having a vertical web and positioned so as to cause their upper and lower flanges to extend horizontally. The beams are disposed parallelly with one another and may be spaced in such a way that the distance between them is of the order of 3 meters.

On the underside of the beam flanges there are secured rectangular ceiling panels or sheet plates 26 which are ridged and preferably corrugated in a trapezoidal form. To prevent corrosion they may be of aluminium, and further they have a length slightly exceedingthe spacing of the beams 12. The Width of the plates may be less than their length, such as one fourth of the latter. The sheet plates are arranged side by side and in rows, their end portions being located at the beams 12. In FIG. 1, the end portion 28 of the plate 26 extends under the beam 12 and is covered on its underside by the end ,portion 30 of the plate 26 in the next row. Before assembling, holes are drilled in the end portion 30, and

I plates.

3,256,664 Patented June 21, 1966 preferably there has also been provided screwed joints 32 in these holes for securing clamp members 34, which are double-bent substantially in the form of a Z. The screwed joints 32 are spaced from the edge of the plate or panel in order that the end portion 30 of the plate 26 shall be able to extend under the end portion 28 of the plate 26 and thus also under the beam 12. The clamp member 34, which is made of sheet metal fits the form of the beam 12 and thus extends up to and past the upper edge of the beam. The clamp member 34 has a portion 36 which, after the member has been mounted upon the beam, is knocked in about the top flange of the beam. The opposite end portion 28 of the plate 26 is in turn clamped between the end portion 30 of the following plate 26" and the beam 12 In assembling the ceiling the start'is made from the left, as viewed in FIG. 1, to mount the plates. The end 28 of each plate is first held temporarily on the proper level until the next plate is caused to support with its endportion 30 the weight of said plate end 28. At the same time said next plate is pushed against the beam 12 until the beam is struck by the clamp member 34 which has been mounted previously by means of the screwed joint. Thereupon the edge 36 of the clamp member is knocked about the top flange of the beam, and the plate ends will thus be rigidly secured to' their beam. Due to these features, no drilling operations or the like have to be carried out on the place of assembly proper which in most cases is located on a comparatively high level above the floor plane and thus has to be reached by means of overhead cranes or the like means.

The beams 12 are of course not exactly interspaced, which does not matter, as differences only mean that two plates will overlap more or less at their meeting ends and the free edge of each clamped panel is spaced from the depending portion of the clamp members.

simplicity and absence of any fitting operation. The clamped plate end 28 is able to expand and contract during changes in temperature, which is of the utmost importance, especially when very large ceilings are concerned.

As will be seen in FIG. 2, clamp members 34 are preferably disposed on every crest of the corrugated plates. Under the beams 12, in the valleys ofthe plates, blocks 38 of wood the like may be inserted, which then press together the ends 28, 30 of the two overlapping Also the longitudinal edges of the plates 26 may overlap, as is indicated at 40 in FIG. 3.

While one more or less specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that this is for purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited thereby, but its scope is to be determined by the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A false suspended ceiling assembly, comprising in combination a ceiling, a plurality of hangers removably suspended from said ceiling, a plurality of beams having upper and lower horizontal flanges and a vertical web, said hangers being adjustably connected to the upper flanges of said beams and suspending the same in spaced, mutually parallel relation, a plurality of rigid ceiling panels having a length greater than said spacing between adjacent beams and including overlapped adjacent end portions disposed immediately beneath the lower flange of said beams, and a plurality of clamp members having an upper portion extending over said upper flange and terminating therebeneath, said upper clamp member portion dependingat one side of said web and continuing in a lower portion extending away from the lower beam flange, said lower clamp member portion overlying and engaging one of said overlapped ceiling panels in spaced relation The assembling operation will thus be precise in spite of the extreme from the end portion thereof, said other of said overlapped ceiling panels having a free edge disposed beneath said lower beam flange and said ceiling panel engaged by said lower clamp member portion, said free edge being spaced from said depending clamp member portion, a .fastener element extending transversely through the lower clamp member portion and said one ceiling panel for clamping the free edge of said other ceiling panel to said lower beam flanges and permitting said ceiling panels to expand and contract due to temperature changes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 2,051,064 8/1936 Worden 52416 2,061,150 11/1936 Goss 52351 2,302,949 11/ 1942 Palmer 52588 3,029,561 4/ 1962 Clay 52410 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 226,325 1/1960 Australia. 579,477 7/ 1959 Canada. 589,152 12/1959 Canada. 10 1,223,464 2/1960 France.

330,554 6/1930 Great Britain. 343,612 2/ 1960 Switzerland.

FRANK L. ABBOTT,

Primary Examiner.

Examiners.

I. L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

